Gov. Tom Corbett had successful hernia surgery in Pittsburgh on Thursday and briefly turned over the reins of power to his lieutenant governor.

Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley was in charge of the state from 7:10 a.m. to 8:35 a.m., when the governor emerged from anesthesia, Corbett's office said. By midmorning, Corbett was on his way home to recover at his home in Shaler, said press secretary Jay Pagni.

The Republican governor had back surgery at the same hospital in May 2011, his first year in office, to address spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that can cause pain and reduce activity. In that case he spent two days at the hospital.

Corbett also had angioplasty to clear a blocked artery after a mild heart attack in 1997.